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RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which regimen of combination chemotherapy is most effective in treating advanced colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of various combination chemotherapy regimens in treating patients who have advanced, recurrent, or metastatic colorectal cancer that cannot be treated with surgery or radiation therapy.

A Randomized Phase III Trial of Three Different Regimens of CPT-11 Plus 5-Fluorouracil and Leucovorin Compared to 5-Fluorouracil and Leucovorin in Patients With Advanced Adenocarcinoma of the Colon and Rectum

Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Quality of life is assessed before treatment, during treatment (arm specific), and after completion of treatment.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.

Drug: irinotecan
Drug: oxaliplatin

Detailed Description:

OBJECTIVES:

Compare the time to progression in patients with locally advanced, locally recurrent, or metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma treated with combinations of oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, leucovorin calcium, and irinotecan.

Compare the quality of life, response rate, time to treatment failure, and overall survival in patients treated with these regimens.

Compare the toxicity of these regimens in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to ECOG performance status (0-1 vs 2), prior adjuvant chemotherapy (yes vs no), prior immunotherapy (yes vs no), and age (under 65 vs 65 and over). Patients are randomized to one of three treatment arms.

Only arm II remains open to accrual.

Arm I (Saltz regimen): Patients receive irinotecan IV over 90 minutes followed by leucovorin calcium IV over 15 minutes and fluorouracil IV once a week for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks of rest. Courses repeat every 6 weeks. (Arm I closed to accrual as of March 15, 2002.)

Quality of life is assessed before treatment, during treatment (arm specific), and after completion of treatment.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 825 patients (275 per arm) have been accrued for this study thus far. Additional patients are being accrued on arm II. (Arms I and III closed to accrual as of March 15, 2002.)

Eligibility

Information from the National Library of Medicine

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No history of gastrointestinal bleeding unless it is determined to be acceptable by the enrolling physician

No other prior or concurrent malignancy within the past 3 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix, or other resected malignant tumor with less than a 10% probability of tumor relapse within 3 years of diagnosis

No medical or psychiatric conditions that would preclude study

No colonic or small bowel disorders with uncontrolled symptoms of more than 3 loose stools per day